YIPPEEE!!! Developments! Plot-wise and character-wise. While the performance side didn’t really deliver much in this episode (for plot’s sake), I’m happy the pacing is finally picking up again. I am getting that *feeling* of “I’m-lost-because-I-don’t- understand-a-character’s-intentions,” but I’m hoping it all works out in the end, and I’ll end up wanting to go back and find out how it all started. It’s a similar feeling to one I had while watching Prosecutor Princess.

After getting trampled in court, Soo In and Hwa Ja urge her to find a lawyer. Seol Hee feels downtrodden, so practice is canceled for the day. Ji Wook and Seung Hye spot her as she leaves the courthouse, and Ji Wook has a pang of sadness for his wife. And I mean a very minuscule pang – indicated by the fact that he doesn’t want to go for drinks to celebrate. Seung Hye tells him to toughen up – it’s only the beginning.

That evening, Tae Hyun finds Soo In alone at the studio, practicing on the drums. He scolds her mildly for her bad drumming habits, then wonders where the rest of the band is. (Do I smell a hint of chemistry in the air?) Soo In tells him practice is canceled because Seol Hee can’t make it, and she starts ranting about what a witch Ji Wook’s lawyer is. Tae Hyun gets enough out of it to know that Seung Hye completely trampled over Seol Hee.

He calls Seol Hee – but she’s too busy drowning out her sorrows by blasting rock music in the apartment.

The next day, Seol Hee is more determined than ever to find a lawyer. But it’s a little too late – the lawyers are either too expensive, too hesitant to take on a case where she already lost on the first day, and too unwilling to go up against the Great Cha Ji Wook. Meanwhile, Soo In is already speaking on Seol Hee’s behalf, telling her boss that Seol Hee may not be able to do lead vocals and Ran Hee should take her place for their live performance.

However, Ran Hee and her manager have their own little secret plan: they want Seol Hee on vocals, because then the documentary camera can capture Ran Hee the Star suffering as back up, and her fans would die from heartbreak and cheer her on.

Unfortunately for Ran Hee, Seol Hee shows up. Music is her only outlet in such a tough world. Tae Hyun walks in on her playing the keyboards singing by herself, and he asks if she’s OK. Since she doesn’t think Tae Hyun knows about what happened in the court, she cheerfully replies, “About what?” Of course, Tae Hyun asks cool and pretends his question is nothing important, but he notes that she’s quite cheerful. He then tells her that he knows a lawyer – if she’s looking for one. Seol Hee immediately asks for an introduction.

Meanwhile, Mother of all Evil goes into her usual spa place and overhears a couple of rich ladies gossiping about her and Seol Hee. The two gossipers reckon that Mother of all Evil must have mistreated Seol Hee, because there is no other reason why she’d look for a divorce when everyone “knows” about their “passionate love story.” Embarrassed, she goes to her son and begs him to just give Seol Hee whatever she wants. (HA! You can’t get away with it that easily MoaE) But Ji Wook is a tad too greedy – he wants to completely destroy Seol Hee so that he can emerge as a clean winner, even though their family name is already being dragged out in the mud. He just doesn’t know when to back down and acquiesce…

Tae Hyun drives Seol Hee to the lawyer’s office. She wonders if he’s been divorced as well, based on the pictures in his house and him knowing a divorce lawyer. He confirms that he got divorced because of a clash of personalities. (No kidding.) But he didn’t have to go to trial for it.

They arrive at a dinky building, and greet a penny-pinching, bespectacled old lawyer named Go Jin Bae. (He is most probably the genius veteran hiding in the shadows who will trounce Seung Hye’s ass back to her hometown.) After reviewing Seol Hee’s case file, he asks if she knows how much her husband’s inheritance is worth. Seol Hee has no idea, and so he then asks how much she wants to take from them. Seol Hee insists it’s not about the money. Jin Bae counters, “If you have no goal, you can’t win.”

Seol Hee doesn’t like where this conversation is going. She confronts Tae Hyun: she wanted a “skilled lawyer.” Having worked in a law firm before, she can tell that Jin Bae is not qualified enough to go against the best lawyer in the country. Tae Hyun asks how she could judge a book by its cover, but Seol Hee just leaves.

It’s midnight, and Hwa Ja sneaks into the dark studio with her guitar. In the ghostly light, Soo In and Hwa Ja scare the bejeezus out of each other (with Soo In crying “Mommy!!”). Turns out, they’re both too anxious to sleep for the performance the next day. Next thing you know, Ah Reum and Seol Hee appear at the door – seems like everyone had the same anxiety. They decide to all practice one more time together.

“Now, there’s no need to be afraid. Let’s just do it the way we practiced. Hwa Ja, Kang (Soo In), and Yang Ah Reum – at our performance tomorrow, like the time we learned the C chord, it is the day that we’ve been waiting for, you know? Like we’ve dreamed, it’s the real debut! Hwa Ja – I know that it’s hard making time when you have work and house chores. Kang – you practiced so hard that your wrists hurt. Yang Ah Reum – you must be embarrassed to do this with middle-aged ladies, so we’re thankful that you’re here. All this time that we’ve been practicing until our blood dried up… let’s pour it all out tomorrow at the debut.”

The next day, they drive up to Live Cafe and see huge banners prominently featuring Ran Hee and the Madonna Band. The four girls freak out as if they’re the biggest thing ever, even though their picture takes up only a small portion of the banner. Just goes to show how happy these “ahjummas” are with the idea of performing.

Backstage everyone has the jitters. They have the camera crew filming them, and Min Kyu and Duk Soo are in the audience to support their ladies. Just then, Ran Hee’s manager takes the diva aside for a little secret planning (and you know the performance is not going to go well). Ran Hee bursts out, “What are you going to do if that ruins the debut?” but her manager reassures her – no one outside of that room is going to know, since it’s not going to be broadcast live on TV.

Tae Hyun comes in to give the girls his own pep talk. To Ah Reum: “Don’t try to stand out so much.” To Soo In: “Take some strength out of your wrists.” To Hwa Ja: “Even if those fake eyelashes come off, continue til the end!” To Seol Hee: “When you sing, just think about singing. Don’t think about anything else.”

The audience cheers as Ran Hee and the band take the stage. They’re an enthusiastic crowd, and Seol Hee smiles as she strums the first note… but no sound comes out. She tries again, but her guitar isn’t working. Ah Reum tries her guitar and it’s not working either. As they stand there in the increasingly awkward and restless silence, Ran Hee takes the chance to push Seol Hee aside from the microphone. She apologizes to the audience for the band being such amateurs, and she discreetly kicks them off the stage to sing her solo.

Embarrassed and angry, the Madonna Band have no choice but to trudge backstage. Tae Hyun is angry because if they could give up the stage so easily, why do it in the first place? He leaves them with the scathing remark that the Madonna Band isn’t skilled enough to perform at all. The girls start wondering how the hell the guitars – which were working a few minutes ago – could have suddenly not worked when they got onstage. They start speculating on who could have pulled this prank when Seol Hee tells them to stop. They’ll have another chance to perform – if the annoyed owner of the cafe would let them.

After the performance, Ran Hee and her manager invite Tae Hyun for drinks. In the van, Ran Hee feigns pity for her band mates, and her manager says it’s a shame that the guitar hook up was broken. Tae Hyun questions how the manager could have known that. The manager has no reply. He thinks that it’s not a big deal but Tae Hyun feels the injustice strongly, and threatens to break their contract. Hmmm – looks like he’s either a) falling for Seol Hee or b) liking the Madonna Band’s style, even if they’re amateurs.

He texts Seol Hee, who’s sitting outside the cafe, and apologizes for his harsh words. He also tells her to leave her broken guitar in the practice room. How sweet. Just then a mysterious guy with a cap covering most of his face approaches her. He’s uneasy, even though Seol Hee is willing to help him (in case he’s lost), and runs off when Soo In and Ah Reum approach. Bye bye mysterious guy… for now…

The next day, Seol Hee dresses up in a flirty outfit and enters the building of her husband’s apartment. Why? Well to seduce the security guard of course! She works her charms and gets the security guy to let her check all the parking lot footage for her husband’s car (and feed her with burgers and soda when it gets late).

Tae Hyun goes to a guitar shop and finds Jin Bae playing around with an antique. (Aha – so the lawyer is not only a crabby genius, but a guitar lover too. No wonder Tae Hyun likes this guy.) Jin Bae notices that the repaired guitar Tae Hyun picked up is not his own (because it Seol Hee’s) and tries to pry, but Tae Hyun won’t tell him whom it belongs to. (Ah – keeping secrets from a mentor now, eh? *wink wink nudge nudge*)

He calls Seol Hee, who’s in the middle of her investigation, and asks to meet her wherever she is. She goes down to the parking lot to wait for him, but a sleek black car pulls up. It’s Ji Wook. He sees the screen shots from the parking lot cameras and figures out that she’s checking up on him. Ji Wook blames her for causing more trouble for him – now a bunch of lawyers he’s never heard of have been calling him because she’s been bringing her case around. He warns her she’s just digging a deeper hole for herself, but Seol Hee retorts that she’s ready to fight til the end.

She turns around to leave and he grabs her wrist (because that’s the symbol for all “alpha Korean males”). Just then, they hear, “What are you doing right now?” It’s Tae Hyun to the rescue! Seol Hee is not a young “agashi” so Ji Wook should let go. (The implication being that because Seol Hee is dressed like a young tramp, a perverted businessman is trying to pick her up wrongly.)

Seol Hee: We should go.Tae Hyun: (eyes her outfit) What kind of clothes are you wearing? I can’t tell if you’re wearing clothes or not. That’s why anyone and everyone is confronting you!Ji Wook: *death-glare-becomes-glare-of-curiosity*Seol Hee: I said let’s go.Tae Hyun: (to Ji Wook) Be careful.

Oooohooo – hisss…

Tae Hyun is shocked though when he is told that he just confronted Seol Hee’s husband. Big Woops. He apologizes for getting involved, and Seol Hee brushes it off. He returns her guitar – which is now equipped with strings that are better for a left-handed strummer. She’s touched!

But first an obstacle! The girls are getting kicked out of the studio. The landlady wants them to move out without giving prior notice, and brought movers with her. Seol Hee immediately takes charge of the situation and starts showing off her law-smarts. She tells the landlady that it’s illegal to kick out tenants without prior notice, and if the landlady doesn’t stop now, they will fight it out at the police station. Leader Seol Hee wins the day!

They decide to move into an old, cluttered attic. Soo In is sorry that they couldn’t keep the studio, since it’s such a great space, but Seol Hee is the face of optimism. She gives Ah Reum a hearty slap on the back and they start cleaning the place up.

Ji Wook returns to Seung Hye’s office. He wants to know if she knew about Tae Hyun and Seol Hee. A look of fear and worry flash across her face, and she lies, “No…” Ji Wook says, with a calculative look, that the two of them seem close. Seung Hye is all, “Oh really? Ha..ha..ha….will look into it…”

And that means confronting Tae Hyun. Seung Hye rails against him for still meeting Seol Hee, but he says that it’s his personal life. She has no right to control who he sees or meets. Seung Hye says (quite arrogantly), “It’s all for your sake so listen to me. There was a time when you were really important to me, so I’m doing this because of that.” If Tae Hyun doesn’t heed her words, she will easily declare war against him too. Ugh – if she said that to me I’d definitely rebel.

It’s late at night, and considering Seol Hee’s state of dress, it’s not all too safe for her. As she walks home, the mysterious guy appears behind her, stalking her. She becomes aware of his presence and stops walking, thus (forcing him, and) letting him pass her. She sighs a relief, and goes up the stairs to her apartment. Suddenly, she hears, “You’re Jun Seol Hee, right?”

It’s the mysterious guy – and she recognizes him as the guy outside the cafe.

Man: You’re in the middle of filing for a divorce right now, right? I have information that you’ve been looking for that would allow you to win the case.

Comments:

I’m disappointed that the divorce case is getting dragged out, but now it’s done at a better pace. Revelations are being made, and it looks like it will be an all out war for Seol Hee, both professionally and personally. She has to deal with evils in the form of her husband and Ran Hee, and find a way to live happily. She’s also smartened up in looking for a lawyer, but her little interaction with the landlady indicates that she’s not entirely ignorant about law. She knows how to take command of the situation (if given the chance to), and she knows a thing or two about law. Therefore, she thought she could handle herself well enough in court. However, she’s also quite optimistic and relied too heavily on the truth being revealed in court. Little did she realize that in court, it’s all about who can speak and argue better, not about the truth.

The character developments – Seung Hye is nearly as ruthless and as arrogant as Ji Wook. She has a very tiny heart left, but she’s also ordering her ex around, similar to Ji Wook. I also love the interactions between Hwa Ja and her husband; when she complains about their performance – or lack of – he takes it all calmly. She asks him a loaded question: who’s prettier, her or Ran Hee? And her husband can’t answer. She stomps off, and Duk Soo follows her meekly, as though this isn’t the first time they’ve had this “fight.” It’s so sweet, because even though they fight, their marriage is so grounded in love. As for Tae hyun and Soo In, was I the only one who noticed a hint of a possible attraction between the two? After all, they do hate each other, and they do have to work together. But I’m sure Soo In will stay in loyal-best-friend-territory. Nevertheless, I can dream…right?

I think it is way too early to have other characters pairing Tae Hyun and Seol Hee up because they don’t seem like a believable pair yet. They don’t dislike each other enough, but they don’t seem to like each other enough. Ji Wook misunderstanding their relationship makes sense though, because I’m sure he’s constantly searching for ways to paint Seol Hee in a worse light. But for the manager to immediately leap to the conclusion that Tae Hyun likes Seol Hee? I don’t think so… I also don’t understand why Tae Hyun’s being so nice to her. Is it because he found out about her being his fan? Or is it because she’s going against his ex-wife?

But yay for stalker guy! Although he can never beat Seo In Woo in terms of legit stalker skills, at least he confronts Seol Hee quickly enough. And seriously – expand Ah Reum’s role! Hyuni is so underused… tsk tsk.

Man, this divorce thing is REALLY dragging out isn’t it? I’m so afraid they might drag it past the last episode. I mean, I’m all for this mysterious cap guy to show up and offer Seol Hee some help (’cause she desperately needs it) I don’t know what information is he going to dish out, but this is becoming the lite version of “THE SECRET BIRTH” and “FAMILY DUELS” plot… Dragging it out… plotting how to taint the other in court, insanely and scarily threatening their spouse to shut up and be quiet, basically holding someone hostage in a household of mean people, stalking people to catch them in “THE ACT” (whatever act it may be) This drama has all the elements already! Ditch the Madonna Band, throw in some dark intense music, and we have a full blown modern Family Duel drama… “I AM LEGEND” The title already works.

How awesome was it that SH was listening to Nirvana instead of some sappy whatever. I wish the band would do a Nirvana cover. Especially since SH already said she is a huge fan of Curt Cobain. I’d pick “Heart Shaped Box” or “Come as you Are.” They would fit the theme of the show, i think. Any other fantasy picks?

I love that they actually invented an explanation for Kim Jung-eun being a lefty guitarist — Seol-hee is supposedly right-handed but insisted on playing lefty like Kurt Cobain “because it looks cool.” (That’s why her playing is a little awkward, apparently, but she just couldn’t help wanting to be like him.)

This drama just makes me happy. I’m not really interested in the romantic storyline. I’m really invested in the band, and would really rather see more of the band mates, particularly Ah Reum just like you said.

I really don’t mind dragging out the divorce case though. It’s starting to get more interesting with the old lawyer and the mysterious man being thrown into the mix. I also think the divorce is why Tae Hyun is so interested in Seol Hee. He feels sorry for her because he knows how ruthless his ex-wife is. I also think he’s intrigued by this ahjumma who flounces around in short shorts (can I say how much I love her short shorts wardrobe!) trying to take care of everyone else while her own world is falling apart.

Tae hyun and Soo In attraction? no you’re not the only one who thought of it. they will look cute together considering their hatred before. and though Tae hyun and Seol Hee are getting along, they only seem like friends.

I loved Seol-hee’s “leader” speech, too. It was hilarious seeing her work her feminine wiles on the security guard, LOL!

And Seung-hye should definitely feel insecure around Seol-hee – honestly, she reminds me of the “career women” in 1980s Filipino movies. I wasn’t the most stylish girl at the office, but dang is that woman frumpy.

Uhm… the pair of Tae Hyun & Seol Hee is no very convincing… He looks young next to her 🙁 Like a older woman with younger boy… And the chemistry between two actors are not there yet.. 🙁 But Seol Hee is lovable… 🙂 Gooooo..

I do think so, too.
I like they tell more about the love in the past of Seol hee and his husband. Actually I think it’s more interesting if a wife try to fight back for her husband’s love. Especially when he plays hard to get. ke ke!

Inwoo Inwoo, Seo Inwoo!!!
A bit of PP spirit in IAL. Loving IAL so far, but I’m curious how they’re going to continue on with the divorce storyline ESPECIALLY with the next episode out as a cliffhanger! That’s all I’m saying!

I’m having trouble with this drama. Things aren’t really clicking when I watch it. The main love interest does indeed seem too young for her and their storyline comes off forced, as do their interactions. The characters also seem very two-dimensional. I hope the divorce storyline dissipates soon so things can start moving forward.

And I can’t help but think how awesome it would have been if Kim Sun-ah was still the lead.

So what if she looks a bit older?, this is not the first time K-drama ‘promoting’ an older woman and younger guy love plots.

I don’t think TH is attracted to SI, not a bit. I feel the vibe of TH and SH, the way he looks at her is intense. Generally, I like this drama but still can’t replace CH (City Hall not Coffe House) on my top list.

Tae Hyun and Soo in…no way! He’s definitely interested in Seol Hee. I even see them performing together. As to why the divorce is being dragged out…the other lead actors have contracts re: number of episodes and/or development of their roles.

Personally, I believe Ji Wook’s attraction for Seung Hye. They carry their cutthroat courtroom tactics into the bedroom.

I hate to be a cynic, but I think producers are always toying with us. They always have an eye on series extension and frequently have to awkwardly tie up loose ends when it fails.

Kaedejun, thank you for recapping IAL! I’ve read all your recaps but this is the first drama I’m watching as well. Great job!

I actually had a shout out to you in my review of IAL at Thundies. I am really enjoying IAL even though I have issues with a lot of the drama. But Kim Jung Eun is wonderful as Seol Hee!

As for SH-TH, they are supposed to be the same age in the drama! This is not a noona-younge guy love story, which is why it just isn’t working for be yet bc they have no chemistry. Hoping for the writer to make it all work!

as a person who has watched ep 6, I think I can make comments.
infact, I started to watch that drama because of free time and not so many alternative.
first of all, I’m not content with the lead-couple. in my opinion, they do not look together. it’s not the age gap, but something-else.
I don’t know anyting about the laws but sometimes I think myself and if I feel myself unhappy, suffocating, and the other similar things, it must be enough for me to be able to divorce. especially, if I don’t want anything from the other side. so, why the divorce is too difficult, I don’t get it!
when it comes to seol hee character, I find her sometimes very charming and sexy and but sometimes her character doesn’t convince me. something about the acting is wrong for me. because sometimes, seol hee’s reactions seem to me very unnatural, eps her opening eyes while shocking. I can give many examples, whatever.
also, I don’t like ehr style may times. especially, at the court it was really unsuitable to wear such a short. anyway!!
Tae Hyun no doubt likes seol hee, it’s very obvious. he’s really cool and charming. but I wish his coupling would be more satisfactory.
generally, I didn’t fall in love with the drama but for me, it can be watched if u have free time.

This drama may not be flawless, but I am addicted….so far.
I like KJE as Seol-hee. Two more days for ep 7. I envie these actors who can act AND sing so well. Praying for Jiwook to regain his mind and love for Seol-Hee.

ohh, again forgot to say something! I’m more interested in seeing the husband while watching the drama. even if he is harsh maybe evil, i find him very charming. maybe because of my personal evil character choice 😉

thanks kaedejun for the recap.. i know this drama may not be the best, but i am loving it..

i love TH and SH… it never occurred to me that TH might be interested in SI… I see how he looks at SH (and wishing someone looks at me like that too..) i thought for this episode they’re starting to build-up the OTP…

anyhow, will be waiting for episode 6 recap and episode 7 on monday…. 🙂

While I can’t say that IAL has hooked me, yet, as My Girlfriend is a Gumiho has…I am enjoying this quite a bit.

Although I didn’t pick up on romantic chemistry between Tae-hyun and Soo-in in that scene, I did sense some kind of old connection between them…that would explain why they seem so hostile to each other, now. But I’m only speculating.

I like the recent looks that Tae-hyun has been giving Seol-hee. While I don’t think that he has reached the point of out-and-out liking her, yet, I do think he feels drawn to her. I think, initially, he felt sympathy towards her because of her situation, and then later because she was going against his ruthless ex-wife(and her d-bag husband) in her divorce court case. Now that he’s watched her and her Madonna group perform in front of an audience, I think he’s slowly being captivated by her. Why?

Because Seol-hee sings straight from her heart and it’s touching. Kim Jung-eun is sooo good as Seol-hee, especially when she’s singing. Her vocals may not be the most refined, but her ability to convey how her character’s heart feels through her music and facial expressions…pretty amazing.

As things develop, I think the chemistry between Tae-hyun and Seol-hee is going to be well worth seeing.

Yeah, I was wondering if I was the only person picking up on this weird attraction vibe going on between Tae-hyun and Soo-in. I was like “whoa, where did that come from?” for a minute, but I doubt the writers will do anything with it. Still, it would be interesting to run with…

Still not digging the relationship between Tae-hyun and Seol-hee. I don’t find it believable or even interesting. In fact, Tae-hyun kind of reminds me of a second male lead right now, always helping the lead female and never getting anything in return. The only thing missing is another male lead for Seol-hee to fall for who is probably wrong for her for all sorts of reasons, but their relationship makes sense anyway. That’s just my opinion.

The dragging out of the divorce case is annoying, but I guess it’s to show the maturing of Seol-hee who we’ve seen can be a little reckless, become stronger and independent. Still, I’d rather it didn’t get pulled out too long because then I’ll think they’re doing it just to keep Ji-wook on the show and that’s just lame.

It is interesting that some people feel the attraction between SI and TH, where as some feel for SH and TH. There is a scene which might give some hints on this. In ep5, when SH and TH came out from the parking lot, and talked about SH’s ex-to-be-husband, and the guitar stuff in the car, SH received a phone call from the girls saying that the landlord was going to kick them out of the studio, at the same time when SH talking on the phone, TH got some expression going on….he quietly released a little bit, seems he was kind of nervous when he told SH that he fixed her guitar and made it be more Kurt Cobain feel. You might want to review that part to see if it is only me who is too sensitive about this…. 🙂

I like the premise of the drama – older women finding themselves and a new independent life. The divorce is a central part of the story but I wished there was a clear line to that plot. It is very distracting to have SH go from punk rocker to first year law student to desperate wife about to lose case mode.

You would also think that after Ji Wook becomes aware that SH is trying to find evidence of an affair that he would be more careful not to be seen with his mistress outside of work!!! Either he is absolutely stupid or stupidly arrogant!

wait, was it just me… or was that stalker guy (that seems to now be helpful) in the garage (hiding behind a wall) when SH, JW, and TH were having that confrontation?!?! I could have sworn I saw him hiding when TH was driving and noticed JW&SH… gahhh O_O;;

hey, I was wondering what’s the tittle of the song that ran hee sang in this episode (it was a sad song ryt???)…I am a fan of this drama and that song was my favorite…:)) i’m waiting for a response so plz….thank you…:))